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Can traditional arts improve an older adult's quality of life? Are arts interventions more effective when they align with an elder's cultural identity? In The Expressive Lives of Elders, Jon Kay and contributors from a diverse range of public institutions argue that such mediations work best when they are culturally, socially, and personally relevant to the participants.


From quilting and canning to weaving and woodworking, this book explores the role of traditional arts and folklore in the lives of older adults in the United States, highlighting the critical importance of ethnographic studies of creative aging for both understanding the expressive lives of elders and for designing effective arts therapies and programs. Each case study in this volume demonstrates how folklore and traditional practices help elders maintain their health and wellness, providing a road map for initiatives to improve the lives and well-being of America's aging population.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Half Title, Title Page, Copyright, In Memoriam
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. vii-viii
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-x
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  1. Introduction: Folklore and the Expressive Lives of Elders
  2. Jon Kay
  3. pp. 1-24
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  1. Part I. Observations on Folklore and Aging
  1. 1. Boot Lasts and Basket Lists: Joe Patrickus’s Customized Art and Life
  2. Lisa L. Higgins
  3. pp. 27-41
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  1. 2. Aging with Grace and Power: A Puerto Rican Healer’s Story
  2. Selina Morales
  3. pp. 42-54
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  1. 3. Fieldworker in the Cane: A Puerto Rican Life History in Wood and Words
  2. Julián Antonio Carrillo
  3. pp. 55-79
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  1. 4. The Role of Traditional Arts in Identity Creation in the Lives of Elders
  2. Patricia A. Atkinson
  3. pp. 80-94
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  1. 5. “I Don’t Have Time to Be Bored”: Creativity of a Senior Weaver
  2. Yvonne R. Lockwood
  3. pp. 95-105
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  1. 6. Still Working: Performing Productivity through Gardening and Home Canning
  2. Danille Elise Christensen
  3. pp. 106-137
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  1. 7. Quilts and Aging
  2. Clare Luz, Marsha MacDowell
  3. pp. 138-152
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  1. 8. Curating Time’s Body: Elders as Stewards of Historical Sensibility
  2. Mary Hufford
  3. pp. 153-172
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  1. Part II. Folklife and Creative Aging Programs
  1. 9. Elderhood Arts
  2. Kathleen Mundell
  3. pp. 175-185
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  1. 10. Dancing Chairs and Mythic Trees: The Power of Folk Arts in Creative Aging, Health, and Wellness
  2. Troyd Geist
  3. pp. 186-204
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  1. Index
  2. pp. 205-207
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